On a seemingly ordinary evening near Chandi Chowk in Jalalpur Jattan, Gujrat district, chaos erupted as a rabid dog attacked at least 38 people, leaving the community in shock and authorities scrambling to respond. According to 24NewsHD TV, the incident, which unfolded on October 7, 2025, saw victims ranging from 16 to 50 years old suffer bites of varying severity. Medical staff at the scene quickly triaged the wounded, with two individuals in serious condition rushed to DHQ Major Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital for advanced treatment, while others received anti-rabies vaccinations at the Civil Hospital in Jalalpur Jattan. The district administration wasted no time, launching a coordinated effort to track down the dog responsible for the mayhem.
But this harrowing episode in Gujrat is just one thread in a much larger and increasingly tangled web of dog-related attacks and public anxiety, stretching from the bustling towns of Pakistan to the quiet countryside of England and even the vibrant streets of Kerala, India. Dog attacks, whether by strays or banned breeds, are on the rise—and so is the debate about how best to tackle them.
Earlier this year, Michael Carpenter from Birmingham found himself at the center of a terrifying encounter while camping with friends in Leicestershire. As he helped a friend search for lost car keys, her dog—a breed he believed to be a banned XL bully—leapt out of the car and bit him, not once but twice. "I hit it and it ran round and attacked me again," Carpenter recounted to BBC News. "I tried to kick it again, lost my balance and then the owner managed to call it back—I'd be dead if that hadn't happened." Despite being X-rayed and given a tetanus shot in hospital, Carpenter chose not to press charges, but he shared his story out of mounting concern over irresponsible dog ownership and the effectiveness of breed-specific bans.
Statistics paint a sobering picture. In 2024, there were 31,920 dog attacks recorded in England and Wales—a 2% increase from the previous year, according to police data obtained by the BBC. This uptick came despite the introduction of the XL bully ban in February 2024, an amendment to the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act intended to curb injuries from dangerous breeds. Yet, as the numbers show, the problem persists and perhaps is even worsening.
The debate around breed bans is as heated as ever. On one side, passionate dog lovers argue that responsible ownership and training matter far more than breed, while advocacy groups like Bully Watch maintain that certain breeds, especially bully types, pose a disproportionate risk. What most agree on is that the current approach is failing to keep people safe.
Some experts, like Manchester plastic surgeon Vivien Lees, see glimmers of hope. "We're still seeing serious injuries but some of the worst ones have been less common," Lees told the BBC, recalling a similar drop in severe cases after the original Dangerous Dogs Act was passed in 1991. Yet critics, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have lambasted the law as "a model of atrocious legislation," arguing it targets breeds rather than the root cause—irresponsible ownership.
Enforcement remains a sticking point. Thousands of pit bull terriers, banned for decades, are still found in the UK. Even now, XL bullies walk city streets, sometimes unmuzzled, flouting legal requirements. Carri Westgarth, professor of human-animal interaction at the University of Liverpool, notes, "Simple legislation changes are unlikely to be a quick fix." The government, for its part, insists it is committed to enforcing the ban and has reconvened the responsible dog ownership taskforce to explore further measures.
Alternative solutions are being floated. The Dog Control Coalition, which includes the RSPCA and the Kennel Club, supports reintroducing dog licenses to help fund more wardens and public education. But as Samantha Gaines from the RSPCA warns, "If we were to end up with a fee that is just so significant, we know then that people are not going to pay." Others suggest licensing breeders, especially as the pandemic saw a boom in so-called "designer dogs" bred without proper oversight. Still, as animal behaviorist Debbie Connolly points out, "We have police struggling to enforce and respond to dog incidents, huge delays getting to court costing hundreds of thousands in kennelling and police costs."
David Tucker, a retired CPS prosecutor, offers a more novel approach—a "Highway Code" for dog owners, consolidating the patchwork of existing laws into a single, clear code. But, as Lily Collins, a dog owner from Worcestershire, points out, "I don't think it would make a real difference unless it's part of a much broader strategy that includes education, community support, and more consistent enforcement of the laws and standards that already exist."
Meanwhile, in Kerala, India, the dangers of stray dogs have taken on a new urgency. On October 6, 2025, P Radhakrishnan, a theatre artist, was bitten onstage by a black stray dog during a performance of "Pekaalam"—a play meant to raise awareness about the very menace he fell victim to. The attack, caught on video and quickly viral, unfolded as Radhakrishnan enacted a scene of children being attacked by dogs, complete with barking sound effects. "The sound effects portrayed a child being attacked by stray dogs and that's exactly when a dog ran in and bit me," Radhakrishnan told ETV Bharat. Remarkably, he finished the play before seeking medical help. The incident underscored a grim statistic: in 2024 alone, Kerala reported 316,000 stray dog attacks and 26 rabies-linked deaths, with Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts hardest hit.
Back in Gujrat, health officials have assured that all victims of the recent rabid dog attack are being closely monitored and have access to anti-rabies vaccines. Yet, for many communities—whether in Pakistan, the UK, or India—the fear and uncertainty linger. The scale of the challenge, from stray populations to irresponsible breeding and ownership, demands more than piecemeal fixes or reactionary bans.
As the world grapples with the realities of rising dog attacks, the need for comprehensive, well-enforced, and humane policies has never been clearer. The stories of victims, campaigners, and experts alike reveal a shared desire for safer streets and responsible pet ownership—goals that, while elusive, remain within reach if lessons from past failures are heeded and new solutions embraced.
